Washington Man Pleads Guilty in Major Fentanyl-Laced Pill Trafficking Case

wooden gavelPhoto bySora Shimazaki

WASHINGTON –Thomas Columbian, 26, of Washington D.C., has pleaded guilty to participating in a large-scale narcotics trafficking conspiracy involving the distribution of hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills. These pills were purchased in Southern California and distributed throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia.

The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the DEA Washington Division, Acting Inspector in Charge Ajay Lall of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Thomas, also known as “Cruddy Murda,” pleaded guilty on May 30 to conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has scheduled his sentencing for October 22, 2024.

According to the statement of offense supporting the plea agreement, Thomas joined the conspiracy after being introduced to a Los Angeles-based drug trafficker who distributed fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills. Thomas would travel to Southern California to purchase the pills and then return to the District with the drugs.

Thomas and his co-conspirators used two primary methods to transport the fentanyl-laced pills to the District: smuggling them in luggage or carry-on items on commercial flights, and shipping them via commercial mail carriers.

On June 2, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested Thomas at his home, where they found a baggie containing about 100 blue M-30 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, along with a loaded Glock 21 Gen4 pistol modified with a “giggle switch” to convert it into a fully automatic machine gun.

The investigation, launched by the DEA after a young woman in Washington, D.C., Diamond Lynch, died almost immediately after taking one of the pills, has led to charges against 28 defendants and the seizure of over 450,000 fentanyl pills, 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and 30 firearms.

By statute, Thomas faces a potential prison sentence of up to life, with a mandatory minimum of ten years. A federal judge will determine the final sentence based on guidelines established by Congress.

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